For Some, It's Also Having No Car Payments

7 Joys You Only Get From Owning An Older Car

Modern cars are wonderfully capable machines, but for many petrolheads they just don't quite have the same attraction as a classic motor. Here, we're celebrating the joys associated with older cars

1. They offer a purer driving experience

The cars of today are so technologically advanced that you can safely hoon your favourite country roads at the kind of speeds race car drivers would have been proud of a few decades ago. The new Ford Focus RS is a ridiculously capable mega hatch, but when I attended the UK launch this week, I was treated to an hour-long presentation - 45 minutes of that was from Ford Performance chief Tyrone Johnson explaining all the technology beneath the car. It was fascinating, but it did emphasise just how much is happening between you prodding the throttle and the car reacting.

I love the tech side, but there’s something extremely rewarding knowing that your input is directly attached to the output. Older cars give you this sense of attachment, and it makes them so satisfying to drive, even in non-performance applications.

3. They look better

Humans are all very different, and when given the chance to be creative we’ll produce some wildly varying designs. Go to a classic car meet, and you’ll see cars that look absolutely nothing alike. Unfortunately, modern vehicles are largely designed by computers to be as efficient as possible, whether that’s efficient aerodynamically or with space or whatever other unique selling points marketers can shout about. Computers tend to come up with the same solutions as each other, so you end up with cars that largely look the same.

You don’t have to go back too far to find cars that were designed by real people, and you can find something that really makes you smile every time you look at it.

Complete list (CarThrottle.com)